THOUSANDS of rugby fans are heading for Cardiff today to cheer on the Welsh team in their showdown for the Six Nations Championship.

Victory for the Welsh heroes will secure the Grand Slam, the second in the past four seasons. Even losing by no more than 20 points will still bring the Championship to Wales.

A fleet of coaches was heading south last night and trains to Cardiff were reported to be “full and standing”. With a 5pm kick-off thousands are expected to head south by car today and South Wales Police advised fans to allow plenty of time for the journey and to park their vehicles.

Many fans don’t have tickets and touts are trying to cash in with tickets for the match being offered for sale at £800 on internet auction site eBay.

Pubs in the city centre will be showing the match live on television and a huge screen will be set up at Cardiff’s Civic Centre.

Fans were certain the Welsh XV, under the skilful captaincy of Ryan Jones and the shrewd stewardship of Kiwi coach Warren Gatland, will win the match.

Simon Jones, coach of Llangefni Rugby Club’s second team, was one of about a dozen fans from the club heading for Cardiff yesterday.

At Bangor railway station Simon, 43, said: “I hope Wales will play as well as they did last week. The tactics the team has used so far this season have been great. Full-back Lee Byrne wasn’t kicking for touch against Italy because he knew they were unable to run the ball back at Wales and it worked.

“If the tactics work then Wales will win.”

Siôn Glyn, 26, from Bangor, was also heading to Cardiff last night.

He said: “The French have got to come out and attack Wales and the defence has been magnificent. Ireland and Scotland didn’t manage a try at all. Italy’s was a lucky score and England’s try should have been disallowed for a knock-on so the defence has worked.

“France need to win by 20 points to win the title, they'll be ambitious and perhaps they’ll open up and allow our exciting backs the space to create havoc and score tries.”

Thirty members of Blaenau Ffestiniog Rugby Club, a club founded during the last golden era of Welsh rugby in the 1970s, are heading to Cardiff this morning.

Club treasurer Glyn Granton said: “Come on the French, we’re ready for you. The club received 30 tickets for the match from the Welsh Rugby Union and I’ve got one of them. If last weekend’s game is anything to go by it will be a cracking match.”

Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy will be among the 75,000 crowd cheering on the Welsh team.

Mr Murphy said: “The Grand Slam win in 2005 was one of the greatest events in Wales’ recent sporting history. Four years on, I am looking forward to the repeat performance.”

A CHOIR from Bangor is among five facing a nail-biting climax at the Millennium Stadium today.

Five rugby choirs, supporters from the Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets rugby regions as well as North Wales, will perform a medley of rugby songs, including Calon Lân and Delilah, before the match.

Codi Canu judge, conductor Owain Arwel Hughes, along with Welsh Rugby Union Chief Executive, Roger Lewis, will then choose the best Codi Canu choir to perform the Welsh and French national anthems before kick-off. All five choirs – 400 choristers in total – will take their seats in the crowd, ready to sing for Wales.